You've Got A Friend
by xHypnotizedx
Summary: Who Dougie thought was an assignment turned out to change his entire life.
1. Prologue

**Prologue.**

_Sometimes it takes someone we never would have expected to help us see what we've been missing our whole lives. Sometimes it takes someone we've never even met to help us look at things from a different perspective. Sometimes all we need is a friend. Sometimes it takes someone to show us that heroes aren't always dressed up in colorful suits and fighting crime. They aren't always strong and they aren't always brave. Sometimes a hero can be a small child._

_My name's Dougie Poynter. I'm fifteen years old and trust me, I have a hard time seeing past Friday night. I'm a kid, I take things for granted. I mean, everyone does it. Well, nearly everyone. Some people say it takes a big person to be grateful for what they have. Well, those people aren't necessarily right. Because sometimes it's just the opposite. Sometimes a very small person can see exactly what they have and appreciate it all and sometimes we need a hero to show us that..._


	2. Failing

**Chapter 1**

I was walking down the hallway as fast as I could trying to make it to my locker. The reason I was walking so fast was because I didn't want my English teacher, Mrs. Brenner to see me. I had just turned in a book report and I knew I was going to get an F on it. I just didn't want her to confront me about it. Guess what? She did.

"Douglas," she said coming towards me. I cringed. Anyone who called me Douglas was just waiting to get hit. Of course, I couldn't hit her, as much as I'd have liked to. So instead I smiled and turned around using my fake charm to try to get her to go easy on me, "Hi Mrs. Brenner. How are you?"

Like I was ever that polite.

"I just read your report on 'A Child Called It'" she told me.

"Did you like it?" I asked.

"I'm afraid I didn't, Douglas." I cringed again. "Did you even read the book?"

"Of course I read the book," I said staring straight into her eyes. That's why I made such a good liar. Most people don't look you in the eyes. Me on the other hand, I always did.

"Then can you explain to me why you said the book was about a small boy who was left on someone's doorstep as a baby and didn't have a name so they called him _It_?" she asked me. My smile faded and I looked at the ground.

"You didn't even read the first _page_ let alone the book itself!" she continued, "I can't just let you fail."

"So give me an A," I smiled. It was barely worth a try but I said it anyway. She laughed, "I wish I could. I like you, Doug. I don't want to fail you, but at this rate you're going to have to repeat this course next year if you don't bring your grade up."

"Please, Mrs. Brenner, I can't repeat this class!" I practically begged, "My parents will kill me if I have to repeat tenth grade English. Please. I'll do anything."

"There's not much you can do," she told me frowning, "It's already April and that doesn't give you much time."

"Isn't there some sort of extra-credit I can do or something?" I asked her desperately. "I'll read three other books and write reports. I'll write you a book! I'll clean your entire house just please don't make me repeat this class."

She laughed, "Calm down. There is one thing you can do. Follow me."

I sighed and followed Mrs. Brenner into her classroom. She sat down at her desk as I stood awkwardly off to the side. She looked through some papers then looked up at me. "The only thing you can do for extra credit is be a Big Brother."

"I don't get it," I told her, "I have a sister."

She laughed, "No, it's a program where high school kids become a big brother or sister to a younger boy or girl without one."

"So I get extra-credit...to babysit?" I asked. I didn't get how that helped me and I sure didn't want to babysit a little kid all day. But if that's what it would take for me to pass then I guess I had no choice.

"It's not babysitting," she explained to me, "It will teach you responsibility. At then end of two weeks I would like a report on what you learned."

"And that's it?" I asked her shifting the weight of my backpack from one shoulder to another.

"That's it." she said.

"Count me in." I told her, "Who's the kid?"

She pulled out some papers and gave me a picture of a small boy with messy blond hair. He wasn't exactly smiling and he was wearing a green shirt. "His name is Aden." Mrs. Brenner told me, "He's eleven years old and in the fifth grade at the elementary school. So you want to do this?"

"Definitely," I told her, "Yes. Thank you so much!"

"You're welcome, Douglas. I think you'll be good for him." she smiled. Only this time, I didn't cringe.

* * *

**Okay, short first chapter. **

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	3. The Assignment

Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

I didn't know quite what to expect that next day. I was just told to head to Mrs. Brenner's classroom after school had ended to meet my "little brother." On the way to my locker my best friend Danny stopped me, "Hey buddy. What's the hurry?"

"I have somewhere I need to be," I told him. I didn't exactly tell Danny that I was failing English and that I had to be a Big Brother. I put fifty cents into the vending machine

"Where do you need to be, dude?" he asked me, "It's a Friday. And you're rushing where?"

"I just have something I need to take care of, alright?" I told him as I pushed the button next to the Pepsi and waited for my soda to come out.

"What?" He asked me stopping to open his locker. That was thing about Danny. Once there was an idea in his head he just wouldn't give it up.

I sighed and turned to him, "Look, I'm failing English and I'm getting my extra-credit assignment today, okay?"

"Failing? Dude, that sucks." Danny said shoving his books into his backpack.

"Tell me about it," I sighed, "So now I'm meeting my assignment in Mrs. Brenner's room."

"_Meeting_ your assignment?" he asked his eyes wide, "What exactly are you doing?"

"I have to be a 'big brother' to some little brat in the fifth grade for two weeks, and then write a report on him." I shrugged, "I don't know I didn't pick the assignment. I was just given it."

"So you're babysitting?" Danny asked, a smile spreading across his face, "Mate this is so funny. So when we hang out there's gonna be a little kid tagging along?"

I didn't even think about that. Not only was I going to have to watch this little kid, but it was going to be taking away from my social life. I closed my eyes and sighed, "I guess so."

"Bummer." Danny said looking up and seeing Mrs. Brenner look at me. She smiled and waved me into her room.

"Well, see ya round Uncle Dougie." Danny smiled. I punched him in the shoulder and listened to him laughing as I walked away.

"Hi Mrs. Brenner," I said, not even bothering with my fake charm this time. I had already gotten my chance, so why continue to be so polite? It wouldn't do anything except drive me insane.

"Hello Douglas. Ready to meet your little brother," she smiled like a first grade teacher talking to a group of six year olds. I nodded and she left the room to go get Aden. I sat down on a desk and opened my can of soda and took a sip. This should be an adventure.

Minutes later Mrs. Brenner came back in the room holding the hand of the small boy I saw in the picture. He was wearing the same green shirt that I saw in the picture and his jeans had holes in each knee and he had bleach blond hair. He looked annoyed. A look that said, "Lady, please let go of my hand I'm not five." I couldn't help but smile.

"This is Aden," Mrs. Brenner smiled as Aden pulled his hand away from hers and shoved it into his pocket. "Aden, this is your big brother." Mrs. Brenner handed me a folder that said 'Aden' on it, as if I was adopting a puppy. She told me it had his address, parents' names, and phone numbers in there just in case. I shoved the folder in with the rest of my books and Aden and I left.

I tired to make the best of the situation so I smiled at the kid and said, "Hi Aden, my name's Dougie." I stuck my hand out and waited for him to shake it. He shoved his hands deep in his pockets and stared at the ground, "Hi." He nearly whispered.

"So…" I rocked back on my heels, "What's the story with your jeans?"

"What?" he asked looking up at me, his eyes wide.

"Your jeans," I smiled, "the holes in them. What happened?"

"Oh…uh…I skateboard." He told me, "And I fell."

"You skateboard? Wicked! Me too." I told him. This kid shouldn't be so bad after all.

"Well…I'm just starting," he said quietly, "That's why I fell."

"Don't worry, you'll get better. I fell a lot when I first started too." I told him. The two of us walked down the street in silence.

"Don't you have a car?" he asked, looking up at me with his big grey eyes. He looked like a puppy dog, scared and lost. I shook my head, "I'm only fifteen. I can't drive." I told him.

"When are you going to learn?" he asked me. He had a thick Bolton accent, just like Danny did.

"When I'm sixteen and can get a license." I said to him as we kept walking.

"So where are we going?" he asked. He didn't stop talking, did he?

"Where do you want to go? You hungry?" I asked him. He was so skinny, his clothes practically hung off his small body. He smiled and nodded, "Yes."

We walked to the nearest McDonald's and I ordered a big mac and a happy meal for both of us. We sat down at a table and Aden started eating as if he hadn't even smelled food in weeks.

"Slow down," I laughed, "You're gonna choke, mate. You look like you haven't eaten in days."

"I have," he said taking a sip of his orange soda, "I'm just hungry."

"So besides skateboarding, what do you like to do for fun?" I asked trying to keep a conversation going to keep from getting bored.

"Uh…you know, play video games and stuff." He said quietly.

"Yeah? Do you hang out with your friends a lot?" I asked him taking the last bite of my burger.

He looked at the floor and whispered, "No…I…I don't really have any friends."

"Don't have any friends?" I asked him, "Why not?"

"No one really likes me," he shrugged looking down, "I don't mind though. I don't need friends."

"Everyone needs friends," I told him, "I'll be your friend."

His eyes lit up and a huge grin spread across his face. He looked like a kid at Christmas, "Thanks." He said smiling. I smiled too, "You're welcome."


	4. Uncle Dougie

**Chapter 3**

The two of us started walking down the street when we were done eating. Aden started coughing and once he started he couldn't stop.

"You okay?" I asked him as he pulled an inhaler out of his backpack.

"Yeah," he said catching his breath, "I...uh…I have asthma. So I start coughing a lot." He told me quietly. I nodded and the two of us kept walking, "Now what are we gonna do?"

"I don't know," I shrugged, "What do you want to do? And what time do I need to get you home by?"

The kid's eyes grew huge, "What time is it now?"

I stared at the watch on my wrist then looked back at him, "Almost six,"

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "Can you take me home now?" he asked. I nodded and we kept walking.

"How much farther to my house?" he asked me. I shrugged, "I don't know. I don't know where you live. You tell me."

"I never walk this far. I don't know," he said quietly. I sighed and pulled out his folder and flipped through the papers, "You live on 13th Street. So we're not far."

We kept walking and turned the corner down Aden's street. "Which house is yours?" I asked him. He pointed to a small white house and we walked towards it. I hated being in this part of the neighborhood. The houses were small and the paint was usually chipping off. It wasn't exactly a good part of town. We got closer to his house and he bolted up the driveway.

"Hey!" I called after him, "It says here I'm supposed to meet your dad."

"M-my dad?" he asked, "Yeah. Sure. Come in," he said as I followed him up the back porch steps and into the house. The kitchen was piled with dishes that needed cleaning and there were things lying all over the floor. Aden led me into the living room where his father was sitting on the couch. His shirt was stained and he had a cigarette in one hand and the TV remote in the other.

"Uh, Dad?" Aden said timidly. His father looked up, "This is Dougie."

"Hi," I smiled to him, "I'm Aden's Big Brother."

"For school," Aden told him, "Remember I told you about that?"

"Oh yeah. Hi." He said turning back to his television. "It's nice to meet you," I said. He didn't even look at me, "Um…well if you need anything or you have any questions you can call me." I said. Still no answer. "Alright. Bye Aden, see you tomorrow."

I walked out the door and down the street. There was something wrong with that kid and I could tell.

I kept heading down 13th Street since Danny didn't live far from there. I figured the rest of the guys would be over there and I could just hang out with them for the rest of the night. I didn't bother knocking; I just walked in and headed down to Danny's basement. Danny, Tom and Harry were all sitting on the couch playing Xbox. Danny looked up at me, "Uncle Dougie! How's the babysitting going?"

"Ha ha," I said sitting down, "It wasn't all bad. This kid is like bipolar or something though, I swear. He's either extremely quiet or talking a mile a minute."

"That was you when we first met," Tom reminded him, "You were always mumbling quietly and then you'd get so hyper you were like a weasel on drugs or something."

I laughed, "Yeah but that's just 'cause I'm shy when I meet new people." I told him. "This kid…I don't know."

"How much longer?" Harry asked me. I shrugged, "Mrs. Brenner said two weeks."

"So for two weeks you're stuck with this kid?" he asked me with his mouth full with chips, "Dude, for two weeks you can't hang out?"

"Hey I didn't want this," I told him, "I didn't pick the assignment. But I can't just fail! So yes, for two weeks I'm stuck with him. And it's not that I can't hang out, I just can't until it's really late. Unless you want the kid to come with us."

Danny shrugged, "You can bring him along when we go places but I can promise I'll like it."

"Hey, you aren't the one who's stuck with him for two weeks." I reminded Danny. I sat back on the couch and sighed. This was going to be a long two weeks. I opened a can of soda and sat back watching the rest of the guys screaming at each other over the video game they were playing.

"So are you babysitting weekends too?" Tom asked me, not taking his eyes off the TV screen.

"Can we PLEASE not talk about my babysitting?" I groaned, "I'm not in the mood."

It wasn't that I didn't like this kid. I mean, I saw nothing wrong with him. It was just the idea of having him around for the next two weeks that drove me crazy. I'm no good with little kids. I never know what to say to them and I had a bad feeling in my stomach about this kid's dad that didn't sit right with me. In all honesty, this kid made me nervous.

Danny jumped up off the couch like a hyper little kid, "What the hell! No!! NO!"

Danny got very into his video games.

"Danny sucks!" Tom shouted, pressing the buttons on his controller harder and turning his entire body, as if that would help his car go any faster. Harry and Danny were pushing each other trying to ruin the other one's concentration. I laughed, not being able to stay out of the fun for much longer.

"Tom is in the lead with Danny at a close second," I narrated the race, "And here comes Harry, oh it's close. Oh, who will win? This is intense. This is crazy! Oh! OH! Danny has crashed! This is mass hysteria on the race track!"

Danny whacked me on the back of the head as he tried to get back in the game. I began talking again.

"Okay with Danny basically out of the race," he hit me again. I laughed, "Ow! That hurt!"

Danny just shrugged and smiled.

"AS I WAS SAYING," I continued, "With Danny basically out of the race its all down to Tom and Haz. Who will win? Oh this is close. Insane! AND TOM CROSSES THE FINISH LINE! THE CROWD GOES INSANE! THIS IS CRAZY!"

Harry tackled me to the ground and Danny shouted, "Pile on!" And he and Tom jumped on top.

"I can't breath," I gasped, "Get off!"

"No chance," Danny laughed.

"You're crushing my rib cage!" I shouted, "Get off! Come on guys this is hardly fair!"

"SHOW NO MERCY!" Harry shouted. I started gasping for breath, pretending I was dying, "I can't breath! I see the light guys! It's all over now."

"Oh come on, you drama queen," Tom laughed climbing off of me. The three of them got off but I stayed on the ground coughing dramatically. "Remember me...as I was..." I said before sprawling across the floor 'dead.'

Danny looked at Harry and shrugged, "Okay." and they all left to start another game.

"What?" I said getting up and hopping over the back of the couch and taking a seat next to Tom, "What if I was really dying, huh? What if I really couldn't breath? Would you just leave me there?"

Harry shrugged, "Sure."

"Cheers, mate." I smiled sarcastically. We always joked with each other and the guys always could make me laugh. I never really realized how important they are in my life. I need them there because if I didn't have them, I don't know where I'd be. I never though about how much my friends mean to me. I'll soon come to realize that I can't take them for granted anymore.

* * *

**Like it? I actually like this story  
One of my better ones, I think.  
I know where I'm going with this  
Just unsure of how to get there  
More reviews-more updates :D  
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	5. New Member

**Chapter 4**

The next morning I woke up at 11, a rarity for me, and then headed down the street to Aden's house. I didn't know how much more of this I could take. I knew I had to hang out with him after school but on weekends too? And I had to get up early. This couldn't get much worse.

I knocked on the back door and saw Aden's head peek through the blinds in the window. He shut the blinds and a few seconds later he opened the door. He was wearing the same shirt I saw him in the day before only it was blue. His jeans still had holes in them His face was smudged with dirt and his blond hair was messy and sticking up in all directions. "Hi." he smiled up at me with his big gray puppy dog eyes.

"Hey," I smiled tiredly.

"You can come in," he said stepping out of the way. I stepped into the kitchen and all the dishes that were stacked in the sink were now gone and neatly put away. There was no longer trash and things laying on the floor. I looked down at the dirty-faced kid. There was no way he cleaned all this, did he? No one would have the heart to make him do that this early.

"You wanna see my room?" he asked eagerly. I smiled, "Sure."

He grabbed my hand and led me up the stairs and into a small bedroom. It had a desk and a bed and a window on one wall. There were movie posters of Batman taped to his walls. The one thing I noticed though, was that it was spotless.

"Wow," I said, "Your room is so clean."

"Yeah," he said quietly, "My dad would kill me if I left it messy. I mean...he wouldn't kill me but..."

I laughed, "I know what you mean." I walked around looking at all his posters. I stopped at the one that caught my eye.

"You like Blink?" I asked him staring at the poster that said 'Blink 182' on it.

He smiled, "Yeah, they're my favorite band. I got that for my birthday last year."

"They're my favorite band too." I told him. This kid wasn't so bad after all. I heard the familiar tune to Blink 182's song "Family Reunion," And pulled out my phone and answered it as quickly as I could to keep Aden from hearing much of the song. My ears turned red and I answered the phone, "Hullo?"

"Doug, where are you, man?" Danny asked from the other line.

"Dude, we went over this yesterday," I said as Aden stared up at me.

"Oh, right. Babysitting. I forgot." he said, still referring to my assignment as 'babysitting.'

"Yeah." I sighed.

"Well bring the kid over here. Tom just got Guitar Hero and the guys and I want to play it." Danny told me.

"Alright, we'll be over in a little bit. See ya." I hung up the phone and looked back down at Aden, "Sorry." I said, "So, how would you like to meet my friends?"

"Uh...sure," he said shyly. I smiled, "They're nice. I swear you'll like them. Come on."

The two of us walked to Danny's house and I opened the door. "Aren't you gonna knock?" Aden asked. I shook my head and smiled, "I never do. Danny never minds, though."

We headed into the basement, "Hey," I said looking down at the three of the guys trying to open the boxes that contained the plastic guitars for the video game. "This is Aden. Aden, this is Danny, Harry and Tom."

"Hi!" the three of them said cheerily. Aden bit his bottom lip and stared at the ground, "Hi,' he nearly whispered.

"Hey, don't be so shy," I smiled sympathetically, "They may seem like freaks, but they're really nice."

"You like video games?" Tom asked finally opening the box and pulling out the guitar. Aden nodded and Tom handed it to him, "Have you ever played before?"

Aden shook his head and Tom smiled, "Well neither have I so we'll both be new at this together."

The two of them took the plastic guitars and started playing. They both started off on easy.

"I don't get this," Tom complained as the song started.

"You have to press the colored buttons and strum the little white thingy at the same time," Danny pointed, "Let me see." he pulled it away from Tom and tried playing. I looked at Aden who was very concentrated.

"Danny, you're getting beat by an eleven year old!" Harry laughed as we watched Aden's score climb higher and higher.

"Nooo!" Danny laughed, trying to catch up. The problem was, since Danny really did play guitar the video game seemed so simple to him that he couldn't follow it. At the end of the game, Aden had won.

"Nice job! You beat Danny!" I laughed holding out my fist. He hit his small fist into mine and smiled.

"Yeah, you beat me fair and square," Danny admitted to Aden. Aden smiled at him and became less shy.

We sat around all day and now had a new member of our crew. He fit in though, even if he was almost five years younger and didn't talk much. We sat in Danny's basement playing video games and listening to music. Aden smiled the whole time.

"So do you like these guys?" I asked him after a little while, "I mean they're a little crazy, but they're cool right?"

Aden nodded and took a sip of his pop. I was sitting in a recliner chair and Aden was smashed between Tom and Harry on the couch. Danny was sitting on a beanbag on the floor.

"Yeah, Doug used to be the youngest one around," Danny said getting up and shoving me off the chair. I laughed, "Yeah. I get bullied."

Danny put my in a headlock and rubbed his knuckles against my head. "But, you're much cooler than Dougie, here." Danny told Aden, "So we won't bully you. Just Dougie."

Aden laughed as he watched the three of them attempt to beat me up. I managed to shove them off of my and I looked at the clock, "What time is it?" I asked.

"Uh...almost six." Danny told me. Aden looked at me, with his big puppy dog eyes and I got up off the floor. "Well, we have to go. I'll just see you guys tomorrow, okay?"

'Sure," Danny said looking at the guys, "See ya."

Aden and I walked down the street and right before we turned the corner to Aden's street we saw a beat-up black pick up truck.

"Oh no," Aden groaned, "My dad's gonna beat us home. He's gonna kill me for not being home on time.

I looked down at him, starting to get worried, "Don't worry, mate. I'll tell him it was my fault, I'm sure he'll understand."

Aden was nearly in tears by this time and I knelt down beside him, "Aden, don't cry. I'll tell him this was my fault. I mean he can't be that mad at you."

"You don't get it. This is the second time this week. He's...gonna be...so mad..." he said between sobs. I didn't know what to do but he was starting to scare me. I grabbed his hand, "Come on." I said. "I'll try to explain what happened."

Aden bolted up the driveway, "No, don't!" he said, "It'll only make it worse."

"Aden," I began heading up the back porch steps.

"No, seriously," he said wiping his eyes and catching his breath, "It's fine. Just...go home. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Aden are you alright?" I was worried. He nodded and headed inside quickly and slammed the screen door behind him.

I shoved my hands in my pockets and headed back down the driveway with a bad feeling sitting in my stomach. As I was walking in front his house on the way home I heard yelling. It wasn't loud at first, but soon it got so loud and it scared me. I couldn't make out what the guy was saying but I soon heard a small boy cry. My stomach dropped and I felt like I was going to be sick. _It couldn't be coming from Aden's house,_ I told myself as I kept walking. At the time, leaving it alone seemed like the best thing to do. Later on though, I'll begin wishing I hadn't.

* * *

**Not such a good chapter.  
It's two in the morning though.  
I'm writing, half asleep.  
Ahh I have summer reading to do!  
Lol anyways, more reviews, more updates  
As always, thanks so much for all of them  
Reviews make me happy, so thanks  
Check back later for updates  
-Erin  
**


	6. The Accident

**Chapter 5**

I headed back to Danny's after that. I needed to get my mind off of what just happened. I knew if I went back home I'd start thinking and soon I'd get a hundred ideas in my mind that would scare me. So I walked back towards Danny's and stayed there for as long as I could.

"My cousin's moving back up here," Tom mentioned out of nowhere later that evening.

"Which cousin?" I asked him. He seemed to have a million cousins and I couldn't keep track of them. I don't know how he did.

"Kelsi." he told me, "She moved a few years ago, but she's moving back."

I nodded, remembering Kelsi. She used to hang out with us back when she lived here but I haven't seen her in so long. "Where's she moving to?" I asked him.

"I dunno," Tom shrugged, "Somewhere up the street I guess. It has a pool."

I nodded again and Harry asked, "So where does Aden live?"

"Up on 13th." I told him. I decided not to mention what I had heard earlier. I knew if I did then the guys would want to go up there and see what was wrong and I didn't want to just jump to conclusions, so I kept quiet.

"Bring him back up here tomorrow if you want," Danny said, "I don't mind having him around. I don't know what you're complaining about."

"I'm not complaining," I sighed, "You're the one who's always asking me about it and complaining that I can't hang out so you shut up."

Danny held his hands up, "Hey, this isn't my fault."

"Whatever," I laughed, "I'm gonna head home before it gets too dark. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

* * *

The next morning on my way to Aden's house I had an idea. He's always getting home just after six o'clock but his dad always beats him home. So what if I drop him off a half hour early? I don't know how that will help but maybe his dad will be less angry if he's home first. I knocked on Aden's back door and he came outside, looking at the ground.

"Hi" I smiled.

"Hi," he said quietly to the wooden steps below him. He wouldn't look at me.

"Hey, I have somewhere I need to be tonight, so is it cool if I take you home around 5:30 instead?"

He nodded, "Yeah. That's fine."

Then finally he looked up at me. His left eye was swollen shut and a bruise had formed underneath it. There was a few scratches around it and his lip was cut. "Aden, what happened?" I asked kneeling down beside him.

"I..I...I fell. I mean I ran into the bathroom door. I-it was dark last night...a-and I couldn't see where I was going. I-i-it was an accident." he stuttered.

"Did you tell your dad what happened?" I asked him, "Did you get this looked at?"

"Y-yeah. I put some ice on it like I was told." he said quietly.

He was lying through his teeth. I wasn't a doctor but I knew there was no way this was an accident. I looked down at him, "Aden, this wasn't an accident, was it?"

"Y-y-yes it was." he said, tears starting to fall from his eyes now, "It was an accident."

I knelt down next to him, "Aden, you need to tell me the truth. Did somebody hit you?"

"No!" he cried, "It was an accident."

He kept repeating that word. _Accident._ This was no accident. Things like this didn't just happen. I knew something was going on and it killed me to have to send him back to that house every day. I didn't feel like forcing anything out of him right now, though so I hugged him, "Okay, okay. I'm sorry. Don't cry."

He wiped his eyes and I stood up, "Do you want to go back to Danny's house today?"

He smiled and nodded and the two of us headed down the street. "Dougie!" I heard someone shout. I looked back and saw a girl about my age running towards me. I couldn't tell who it was. I knew she looked familiar but I just couldn't place the name. She got closer to me and stopped running. She smiled, "Hi Dougie!"

"Hey!" I said just as enthusiastically as I tried as hard as I could to remember who this was, "I haven't seen you in a while."

She laughed, "Well I haven't been around to see."

"How's everything?" I asked her. Who was this chick? I knew I had seen her somewhere before but I couldn't place the name. All I knew was that she was incredibly fit.

"It's pretty good. We're just getting moved in right now." she pointed to the house behind us, "We have a pool."

"Kelsi!" I said, finally remembering who it was. I wrapped her in a hug and she laughed, "Yeah, who'd you think it was?"

"I don't know." I shrugged, "I just didn't recognize you."

"Good or bad?" she smiled.

"Good," I smiled back. Aden sneezed and Kelsi looked down, "Who's this?" she asked me.

"This is my buddy Aden." I said, "Aden this is my good friend Kelsi."

"Hi," he said shyly.

"Hello," Kelsi smiled. Then she looked up and mouthed to me, "What happened to his eye?" I shook my head and she nodded. I would have to explain later.

"Well it's good to see you." she smiled, "You'll have to come back later when we're all moved in."

I nodded, "Sure. That would be fun. It was good to see you too."

"Okay, I'll see you around, Dougie. Bye Aden it was nice meeting you." she smiled. He just smiled back and the two of us walked away.

"She was fit, huh?" I asked Aden. He turned red and nodded. I laughed, "Dude she totally wanted you."

"Oh yeah," he laughed, "I bet."

The two of us continued our walk to Danny's house. Before we stepped inside Aden tugged on the sleeve of my shirt, "Dougie," he said quietly.

"Yeah?" I asked looking down at him. He had tear-filled eyes and his breath came fast. I knelt down beside him, "What's wrong?"

"This wasn't an accident..." he cried.

* * *

**Okay, this chapter kinda sucked. Sorry.  
It'll get better...I hope? lol  
Anyways reviews make me smile  
-Erin :**


	7. Promise?

**Chapter 6  
**

I closed my eyes and silently prayed that this wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. But it was, and I had to face it. I sat down on the back porch steps next to Aden and he started crying. I didn't know what to say. That was the one thing I couldn't handle - other people crying. I never knew what to say or what to do. I wasn't good with that kind of stuff. But I did know that this was serious.

"What happened?" I asked him. He just shook his head, "I can't tell you." he whispered.

"Aden, please. I can help. You have to tell me what happened." I said softly.

"I can't." he whispered.

"Why?" I asked him, "Why can't you tell me?"

"Because I just can't." he cried. I ran my hands through my blond hair and sighed, "Aden, please. We're friends now remember? You can trust me. I'm not going to say a word I promise."

He looked at me with his gray eyes, lost and scared, "Promise?"

I nodded and he took a breath, "M-my dad got mad at me last night because I was home late." he began, "I mean, it was my fault. That's the second time this week and I've done it before too. He yelled at me and hit me. It was my fault though. I deserved it."

I shook my head and held back tears. If I stared crying it would only upset him more, "No you didn't." I told him, "You didn't deserve it. No one deserves that. He might tell you that you did, but you didn't. Has he hit you before?"

"N-no." he said quietly and he shook his head, "No...He's never hit me before. This was the first time."

"You promise me that he's never hit you before?" I asked him. Aden looked up and nodded. He wouldn't look me in the eyes, though. It was almost as if he stared right through me. I didn't believe him.

"Will you tell me if this happens again?" I asked him. He didn't say a word. "Please? You need to tell me if this happens again. We have to tell someone if it happens again."

"Tell who?" he asked getting worried.

"I don't know, like the police or something." I shrugged, "We have to tell someone if this happens again, okay?"

"No!" he shouted, "No you can't tell anyone! You promised!"

"Aden, we have to." I told him quietly, "If your dad hits you then he needs to get help and you need to get out of the house."

"No. He doesn't hit me. I...I already told you. It was just that once." he said, "I swear. It probably won't even happen again. So...so we won't need to tell anyone, right?"

"If it never happens again, then...no. I guess not." I shrugged. I didn't know anything about child abuse. I didn't really know what to do about it. I never even wanted to meet this kid in the first place and now that I have I've grown so attached that it's my problem now. Well, to me it was my problem. He really felt like my little brother and it's only been three days that I've known him. He kept crying and I just sat there and held him in my arms. He was so small. How could anyone hurt a little kid? I didn't get it.

"So please, if this happens again please tell me." I said, "Do you promise?"

"I promise," he whispered through his tears. "Dougie..."

"Yeah?" I said as he pulled away from my hug.

"I'm scared." he said shakily.

"I know," I whispered. "I know. I'm scared too. But you're going to alright. I promise. Everything will be just fine."

"Promise?" he asked me.

"I promise." I nodded. He wiped his eyes. "Dougie..."

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Thanks. You're the best friend I've ever had. I love you." he told me. I pulled him in and hugged him again. "I love you too, Aden."

"Can we go inside now?" he said into my chest, as I was still hugging him

"Sure," I said wiping my eyes before he could notice I was crying.

* * *

**Short chapter, so sorry.  
But, I like it I guess.  
Like it? Reviews??  
Come one people  
We go through this every chapter.  
Reviews...  
a.) make me smile  
b.) quicker updatesss  
c.)...well...they make me happy  
haha so come on people! :D**


	8. Good to Belong

**Chapter 7**

We stood up and headed into Danny's house, "You sure you're gonna be okay?" I asked him.

"The question is are YOU okay?" he shot back with a smile, "I saw you crying. You big baby."

I opened my mouth to protest but all I could do was laugh. I have to say, this kid really inspired me. He was so happy all the time when everything in his world seemed to be going wrong. He could see past that and still laugh and goof off and have fun. Me, if I got grounded or my girlfriend broke up with me, all I did was sulk. But this kid really knew how to see the bright side.

"Aden!" Danny gave us Aden one of his crooked grins as he got up off the couch, "How's it going, buddy?"

"Good," Aden said smiling.

"Woah, what happened to your eye?" Harry asked. Aden gave me a desperate look and I jumped in, "He...uh...he got into a fight at school."

Aden shot me a look like "what are you talking about?"

"Nuh uh!" Danny laughed, "Wicked!"

"No it's not." Tom said, "He looks like he got beat up pretty bad."

"You should see the other kid." I said to them. I knew how my friends' minds worked because soon they were all asking Aden about the fight. He laughed, "Calm down. It was nothing." he sat back on the couch and I sat next to him, "Thanks." he whispered.

"So, Tom I saw your cousin," I said to him as he turned on the XBox.

"Did you?" he asked. I nodded and Danny jumped up, "Dude I saw her too!"

"Yeah?" I asked opening the mini fridge and pulling out a Coke for me and Aden, "She's so fit isn't she?"

"Insanely." Danny nodded.

"Please!" Tom groaned, "PLEASE could we not talk about it."

"Oh, calm down," Danny said turning to Tom, "It's not our fucking fault she's your cousin."

Danny turned red after he said that and we both looked at Aden who was red as well. "Oops..." he whispered and the two of us broke into a fit of giggles that once were started we couldn't stop. That was the problem with us. We knew when things weren't supposed to be funny, but things that weren't supposed to be funny seemed to be funny to us.

"I don't understand what's funny..." Aden began. Harry smiled and took a seat on the other side of him, "Join the club, my friend. The first thing that they should have told you about Dougie, here, is that he has mental issues."

"Oh, don't tell him that," I said catching my breath, "I'm perfectly fine in the head."

"He's not," Harry whispered to Aden and Aden laughed.

A little before five thirty Aden and I left to head back to his house. "Your friends are really nice," Aden told me. I nodded, "Yeah they're cool."

"Why are they so nice to me?" he asked.

I shrugged, "'Cause they like you."

"They don't mind having me around?" he asked. I shook my head, "Not at all."

He smiled from ear to ear, "Well it feels good."

"What does?" I asked.

"It feels good to finally belong somewhere."

* * *

On the walk home I decided I needed someone to talk to. I couldn't just keep all of this to myself. But then I thought about what I had promised to Aden. I promised I wouldn't tell anyone. I ran to Tom's house and knocked on the door.

"How can I help you?" he asked opening the door.

"Tom I need to talk to you." I said sitting down on the back porch. He took the seat next to me and rested his elbows on his knees, "Shoot."

"Okay, so my cousin," I started. I hoped Tom wouldn't realize I was lying. "He thinks that his neighbor is getting abused by his dad. He doesn't have proof but he doesn't know what to do. He promised his neighbor he wouldn't tell anyone but he told me not knowing what to so and I don't know what to do so I just thought..."

"You thought I'd know what to do." Tom finished. I nodded and looked down hoping he wouldn't see through my lie. "Well, to tell you the truth I don't."

"That's alright," I said. "I just feel so helpless. And I know my cousin feels the same way. We just don't know what to do."

"Well, I think your cousin should just watch and if it happens again he should call the police. Danny, we aren't talking about your cousin are we?" Tom said. I knew he wouldn't buy it for long. I tried to think of another excuse but I couldn't so I broke down, "No."

"Then what's going on?"

"It's Aden." I sighed, "I...I think Aden's dad hit him. I heard yelling yesterday after I dropped him off and then he got this black eye and...I just don't know what the fuck to do about it."

I was shaking by this time, I was so scared. And not only that, but I broke my promise to Aden. Tom looked at me in disbelief. "You're sure his dad hit him?"

I was positive. Aden told me that himself. I nodded, "Yeah pretty sure."

"You gotta make sure it doesn't happen again," Tom told me, "If it does, you have no choice. You have to tell someone."

I sighed. "I can't break my promise to this kid. I already told one person. I can't tell someone else. I can't do that to him."

"You have to," he told me, "Dougie, if this happens again you _have_ to tell someone. It's for his own good, whether he gets angry at you or not."

"Not exactly the response I wanted to hear," I sighed.

"What do you want me to tell you?" Tom asked me, "Because it's time to face the truth here, Dougie. You can't just let this kid stay at risk in that house all because you don't want to break a promise. What do you want me to tell you? That there's just some way to make everything right in this world. That by keeping your promise everything is just going to be okay? Sorry, mate, but that's not the case. So you have to take responsibility."

I felt a tear fall down my cheek, "I don't want this responsibility anymore," I cried, complaining like a little kid, "God, I didn't ask for this! I'd much rather fail the damn class."

"Well, whether you want it or not, you've got it." Tom shrugged, "But this kid looks up to you a lot. He trusts you. And Dougie it's up to you to help him or not. Good luck." he got up and headed back inside. I buried my head in my hands and cried like a little kid. I had a choice to make.


	9. Lies

**Chapter 8**

The beeping of my alarm gave me a headache. Another day at school and then another day with Aden. I still didn't know what to do about him. I couldn't let him keep getting hit, but I couldn't break my promise to him. He was such a vulnerable kid, he was innocent. I couldn't do that to him. I'm bad at making decisions and this was one of the toughest I have ever been faced with.

School seemed to drag on forever. I couldn't wait until summer. I almost fell asleep in nearly every class. I couldn't get Aden off my mind. I had to do something, but I just didn't know what.

After school had ended I walked down to the elementary school to get Aden. He came running out of the school and plowed right into me. "Hey, slow down," I laughed balancing him so he didn't fall down. He looked up at me with tear filled eyes.

"I...I...I can't hang out with you today," he told me, holding back tears.

"Why, is everything okay?" I asked, suddenly concerned.

Aden looked behind him and I tried to find what he was looking for. "Aden!" his father barked, "Get in the car!"

He gave me one last hug then hurried off to catch up with his dad. "Shit..." I sighed, "Shitshitshit what do I do!?"

I began my walk home with Aden on my mind. I talked to myself as well, sort of as a way to calm myself down. I was so scared at this point and I felt like I was going to throw up.

"Who ya talking to?" I heard a soft voice ask. I looked back to see Kelsi up against the door frame of her house in a bathing suit and wrapped in a towel.

"Uh...I...no one." I sighed.

"Well, our pool is finally open," she told me, "Do you wanna come back and swim?"

It was hot for being the end of April. It seemed to get hotter a lot earlier every year. But maybe a swim would get my mind off some things for a while. I nodded, "Sure."

We headed through the gate and into her backyard. Kelsi tossed me a towel and I pulled off my shirt. I didn't really care that I would be swimming in the shorts I had gone to school in. I didn't really care much about anything anymore. I sat down on the edge of the pool and swished my feet around in the water.

"Everything okay?" Kelsi asked me. I didn't really hear her at first. I was too wrapped up in my thoughts. "Dougie?"

"Huh?" I looked up. Her eyes were filled with concern, "Oh...yeah I...I'm fine."

"No you're not." she said sensing my lie, "What's wrong?"

_Oh great, _I thought, _Now I'm going to have to tell someone else about what's going on._

"Nothing." I sighed. I hated lying to her. I really did like her. I just couldn't tell anyone.

"You sure?" she asked. She wasn't forcing me to tell her what was wrong. She just wanted to make sure I was okay, which was really sweet of her. I smiled, "Yeah. I'm sure."

We both sat in silence for a little bit at the edge of the pool. After a minute or two, Kelsi stood up. I didn't really think much of it until I felt two small hands on my back and before I knew it I was in the water. I shook my wet hair and looked up to see Kelsi laughing at me. I smiled, "Oh, I see how it is. Come on, the least you can do is help me back out."

She smiled and held her arm out for me but I grabbed it and pulled her in. She came up to the surface of the water and smiled at me. "Now we're even," I smiled back

"Uh...Can I inturrupt?" A voice said. Kelsi and I looked up to see Tom standing at the edge of the pool. "Hi Kelsi. My family just came to see the new house so I figured I'd come find you. Hi Dougie."

"Hey," I laughed.

"Where's Aden?" he asked me. My stomach dropped, "He...uh...he said he couldn't hang out today. His father took him home."

"What?" Tom asked, "Dougie!"

"What?!" I asked him.

"Was his dad yelling at him when they were leaving?" Tom asked, "Was his dad angry?"

I hung my head, "Y-yeah...he was yelling at him."

"Dougie!" Tom shouted again, "Do something!"

"Am I missing something?" Kelsi stepped in, "What's going on?"

"Fuck!" I ran my hands through my wet hair, "What do I do? What do you want me to do, Tom? I've never been faced with anything like this before and right now I'm scared to death and I feel like I'm going to throw up and you aren't making matters any better!"

"Sorry," Tom sighed, "I'm sorry, mate. I really am. This must be really hard for you and I'm sorry."

"Just help me!" I said, feeling the knots in my stomach, "Please!"

"Alright," Tom said, "I think I have a plan."


	10. The Plan

**Chapter 9  
**

"Wait wait WAIT!" Kelsi stepped in. Tom and I looked at her, "What?"

"What is going on?!" she asked. Tom and I looked at each other. "You gotta tell her, mate." Tom shrugged.

I sighed and sat at the edge of the pool, staring down with my eyes fixed on the water and my hands between my knees, "Its Aden...His dad hits him. And I don't know what to do. I promised him I wouldn't tell, although I kind of just told you guys. And...I don't know I just need to help him and I don't know how and I'm scared. I've never been this scared in my entire life."

I felt the tears coming to my eyes. I guess I didn't want to say this to anyone because I thought maybe if I didn't say it out loud, maybe if I didn't admit it, it wasn't true. But it was. There was nothing I could do to change the fact that an innocent kid is getting hit by his own father.

"So...what should we do?" Kelsi asked quietly. I looked at Tom, "I dunno. What's your plan, dude?"

"Alright," Tom started, "You have to take Aden after school every day until 5:30, right?"

I nodded.

"Well, what if you didn't bring Aden back home?" Tom asked. I looked at him like he was a mad man, "Then his dad would hunt me down and probably kill both me and Aden."

"No, no, no. Listen," Tom said, "You don't bring Aden back home. He stays at either my house, Danny's house, anywhere to keep from getting found. His dad won't be able to find him and eventually the only thing he has left to resort to is..."

"Calling the cops," Kelsi finished for him, smiling.

"And once he calls the cops," I smiled, "They find Aden, probably take him to a doctor or something to make sure he's alright, find the marks from where his dad hit him."

"They send his dad to jail, Aden's safe and you never broke your promise." Tom said.

I smiled and nodded, "But Tom, what if your plan doesn't fall through as planned?"

"It has to." Tom said, "It's fool proof."

"So was the plan in _Finding Nemo!_" I said, "And that didn't work!"

"Nemo still found his way back to the ocean, didn't he?" Tom shrugged. I half-smiled and nodded, "I guess you're right. Okay, so when do we do this?"

"Tomorrow, you pick up Aden like you do every day." Tom said, "Only at 5:30 when he's supposed to get home take him to my house instead."

"And what do I do if he asks what's going on?" I asked Tom, "What do I tell him?"

Tom shrugged, "I didn't think about that."

"I can't lie to this kid." I told them. "But I can't tell him that I told you guys."

"We'll think of something." Tom said, "Don't worry. For right now, just focus on what you need to do."

I nodded and headed for my house finally with a smile on my face. In just a matter of days Aden would be safe and he would never have to worry about his dad again.

* * *

"Hey, buddy what's up?" I said after school the next day when I was getting Aden from school.

"Nothin," he said quietly. He wasn't talking as much as he used to and I was worried about him.

"So, do you wanna go for a swim today?" I asked him, "My friend has a pool. You remember Kelsi, right?"

He nodded and the two of us headed to Aden's house to get him a pair of shorts then we headed to Kelsi's. We walked around to the backyard and I opened the gate to see Kelsi lounging next to the pool with a pair of sunglasses on. "Kelsi," I said, "Kels, you awake?"

She sat up and took off her sunglasses, "Yeah I'm awake. Hi Aden."

Aden waved shyly, "Hi."

I sat down at the edge of the pool like I had the day before and Kelsi and Aden sat on either side of me.

"So Aden, do you like school?" Kelsi asked trying to start a conversation. Aden nodded.

"Ready for summer?" she asked. He nodded.

"Do you like hanging out with Dougie everyday?" she asked. He looked up and smiled, finally talking, "Yeah Dougie's my best friend ever."

Kelsi looked at me, "Aww. He is so cute."

"See," I turned to Aden, "I told you she wants you."

He turned red and laughed the punched me in the arm, "Shut up."

"What?" I asked pretending to be shocked, "You can say that to me," I picked Aden up and tossed him into the pool with his shirt still on. He came to the surface laughing, "You're going down."

He pulled himself out of the pool and I was still laughing, "I'm sorry. I had to do it." I handed him a towel, "Here, give me your shirt I'll hang it on the back of the chair to dry."

Aden looked at me nervously then slowly pulled his soaking shirt over his head to reveal several bruises on his stomach and up his arms. I felt the color drain from my face and my stomach dropped like it did on the Nemesis at Alton Towers. I felt like I was going to throw up.

I knelt down beside Aden, fighting tears and he threw himself into my arms, "Please. Don't make me go back."


	11. Can't Go Back

**Chapter 10**

I held Aden in my arms. "Please." he whispered.

"No one's making you go back," I told him quietly. I looked up at Kelsi who had tears in her eyes. I put my hands gently on Aden's bruised shoulders. "What happened?"

"My dad was really drunk last night," Aden said, "His eyes were red and his hair was messed up. I miss my old dad. The one that loved me."

"What...what happened to your mum?" Kelsi asked him. He looked up at her, "She left. I dunno, one day when I was like...9 she packed all her bags and gave me a kiss, telling me to be a good boy. Then she just left."

"Aden," Kelsi said to him quietly, "Can you let me have a look at you? My mother's a doctor so I know what I'm doing. I promise I won't hurt you."

Aden looked at me, scared and lost. I nodded and he turned back to Kelsi. She grabbed his hand and he flinched, "Ow!"

"Sorry, sorry." she said letting go of it. The three of us walked into Kelsi's house and into her living room. Aden sat down on the couch and Kelsi looked at his wrist. It was swollen and bruised. His whole body was shaking, not from the pain but because he was so afraid of being hurt again. I sat down next to him trying to assure him he would be okay.

Kelsi looked at Aden's stomach where a huge bruise had formed. It looked like he had fallen on something or had been kicked. "What happened?" Kelsi asked him.

"I...I fell..." he said looking at me silently begging for me to save him like I had at Danny's. I just nodded, silently telling him it was safe to tell her. He sighed and wiped his eyes.

"My dad hit me." he told her quietly. "After my mum left he started getting drunk and taking his anger out on me."

"Aden!" I shouted. "You told me the first time he hit you was the other day!"

"I..." he began.

"This has been going on for almost two years?" I shouted. He looked scared and he covered his head with his hands thinking I was going to hit him. His small body trembled and tears fell from his eyes. I wrapped him in a hug, "I'm sorry," I whispered, "I'm not going to hit you. I promise."

"Aden we need to get you help." Kelsi said.

"Please...don't tell anyone," he sobbed, "My dad will kill me. I'm not joking."

"Aden," I whispered, "He can't kill you if he's in jail."

"Just don't make me go back to my house," he sobbed. I smiled at Kelsi. Phase one of Tom's plan was finished. "Okay," I whispered, "We'll take you to Tom's house for the night. You like Tom right?"

"Please stay with me," he whispered, "You have to come too."

The next day was a Wednesday and we both had school. But skipping school was well worth it. We needed to get him help, and fast. "Okay," I nodded, "I'll stay with you."

I took Aden's hand and the two of us headed outside, "Thanks, Kelsi." I said as we walked away.

"Wait! Dougie!" she called after me. I left go of Aden's hand and walked back up the driveway, "Let me know how everything is going okay?"

I nodded

"And Dougie," she continued, "I think this is an amazing thing you're doing for him and he's really lucky to have a guy like you look after him. And I think it's really sweet that you're doing all this."

She kissed me on the cheek and I felt my face burn. I smiled, "Thanks, Kelsi. I'll call you later to let you know how everything's going, okay?"

Aden and I walked to Tom's house and I knocked on the door. He opened it and smiled at us, "Helloooo."

"Tom, is it cool if we stay here tonight?" I asked him, although he knew exactly what was going on. After all, it was his plan. He nodded and led us to his basement. Danny and Harry were down there too. Danny got up and gave Aden a high five, "What's goin' on, dude?"

"Nothin', dude." Aden smiled. He loved Danny. Danny was fun and he was really nice to Aden. He was exactly what Aden needed right now to get his mind off of everything.

I began talking quietly to Tom about what Aden had told me when suddenly something hit me, "Tom." I said, "I gotta go tell my mum that I'm staying here."

"Hey Aden," I said walking over to him and Danny who were now playing extreme thumb wrestling(don't ask)

"Yeah?" He laughed.

"I have to go do something real quick, so I'm leaving you here with Harry, Danny and Tom for a few minutes, is that okay?"

"Yeah. That's fine," he said still giggling as Danny started tickling him. I smiled and headed up the stairs and towards my house. All my mum knew about any of this was that I had to look after this kid for two weeks. She had no idea what I had gotten myself into.


	12. The Nightmare

**Chapter 11**

I headed home with my hands stuffed in my pockets and I walked inside, "Mum!"

I checked the fridge and saw a note.

_Dougie, I went to the mall with Jazzie. I have my cell pone. Love, mum._

"Damnit to hell!" I shouted throwing my hands in the air, "Perfect!"

I paced my house thinking of what to do. I could just call and tell her what was going on, but conversations like that never go well over the phone. I could wait here for her to get home but who knows how long that will take.I flopped onto my couch and closed my eyes. What was I going to do?

I opened my eyes later to see that it was getting dark, "How long was I asleep?" I mumbled to myself. I sat up and decided to head back to Tom's and make sure Aden was okay.

As I was walking back I heard police sirens and saw an ambulance speeding down the road. "Don't turn left," I prayed, "Please don't turn left."

And left it went. My heart started racing as I bolted up 13th street. When I got there I saw three police cars and an ambulance in the street. "Please don't be in front of..."

I stopped running. All of this was happening right in front of Aden's house. I felt like someone kicked me in the stomach. I couldn't move. I saw Danny, Harry, Tom and Kelsi run over to me. I stood motionless as they all waited for someone to speak. I saw the police officers struggling to get Aden's father in handcuffs and I saw a few paramedics run inside. The only person that could possibly be left in that house was...

I staggered over to some bushes and was sick. This wasn't happening. I wasn't asleep that long was I?

"Dougie, you okay?" Tom asked sitting next to me on the sidewalk.

"What happened?" I managed to say before feeling a lump in my throat.

"Aden's dad kind of found him..." Tom began, "We told him he couldn't take Aden but he wouldn't listen to us. We did all we could to keep him away from Aden while Danny called the police but he managed to grab Aden and take him home. Harry and I ended up with a bloody nose and a fat lip, nothing we've never had before. But by the time the cops showed it was too late. We haven't found out what happened to Aden but we can't imagine it's very good."

I sat in silence as everything started spinning. This wasn't happening. I got up and ran over to the police line that was at the edge of the drive way. Kelsi stood next to me, her hand in mind as tears fell from her eyes. We watched as the paramedics rolled Aden out on a stretcher, blood soaking his shirt and his head cut open. My stomach dropped and Kelsi hid her face in my shoulder, sobbing. I held the back of her head and rubbed her back as I started crying too. I saw Aden's father in the back of the police car and I ran over to him. One of the cops tried to stop my but I shook him off.

"What did you do? What the hell did you do!?" I shouted. He didn't look at me.

"You make me sick, you know that. Hurting an innocent little kid! How the hell can you do something like that?" I shouted again, tears running down my face and soaking the collar of my shirt, "I hope they take you to jail and you never come out. I hope they torture you in there just like you did to Aden."

One of the police officers took my arm and led me away. I watched them load Aden into the ambulance. My friends stood around me silently and I heard Kelsi softly crying. Once all the police officers were gone I sat down on the curb and sobbed like a baby. "This is all my fucking fault."

"No it isn't" Tom said, "You couldn't have stopped it."

"I should have told someone earlier," I sobbed.

"Hey, you're gonna be okay," Tom said, "Calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down!" I shouted at him in frustration with myself, "I wish I had never even met this kid!"

"Dougie," Kelsi said quietly, "If you'd have never met him he would have had to go through this alone. Without any friends. All alone. You gave him a friend you gave him someone that he needed all along."

"And I let him down," I sobbed, "Tom get your car and take me to the hospital. I gotta make sure he's okay."

The five of us got into Tom's car and headed off the the hospital. I cried the whole way there, nothing could calm me down. Because when I got there one of my worst nightmares could become a possible reality.

We got into the hospital and had to wait for what seemed like weeks. Finally when we were allowed into his room, Aden was asleep. The doctor told us he fell down a flight of stairs and has a concussion. He had stitches in his head and seeing him like that made me sick.

"Aden," I whispered running my fingers softly through his messy blonde hair, "I am so sorry."

We all sat in his room silently for a while until he opened his eyes slowly. I breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "Hi Aden. Good to see you awake."

Aden gave me a confused look, then looked around at Danny, Tom, Harry and Kelsi. He looked back at me, "It's good to see you too. But...who are you?"

* * *

**Sorry, its really short. Ill have more up soon.  
Reviewsss!! please :D they make me smile  
Thanks muchh - Erin  
**


	13. Can't Remember

**Chapter 12**

I looked desperately back at my friends. Why didn't he know who I was?

"It's Dougie," I told him. He stared back at me blankly. I looked back again and Kelsi whispered, "Amnesia."

"What?"

"Memory loss," she told me, "You can lose your memory from head injuries, which is probably what's happened here."

I knelt down beside the hospital bed pleading with my eyes that he remember me. "Aden," I whispered, "You don't remember me?"

He shook he head, "Sorry."

I fought back tears. After everything we've been through he didn't remember me. He had no idea who I was. I couldn't believe it. Kelsi grabbed my hand and I let a tear fall down my cheek. I just couldn't believe he didn't know who I was. It absolutely broke my heart.

"Why am I here?" he asked me grabbing his head. I sighed, "You...uh...Well you fell down the stairs and you hit your head which is why you don't remember me."

"How'd I fall?" he asked me. The innocence in his eyes cut through me like a knife. I couldn't tell him his own dad hit him. Kelsi tightened her grip on my hand and I said quietly, "Well, your dad hit you."

"My dad?" he asked, his eyes widened. I nodded.

"My dad wouldn't do that." he told me, "My dad loves me. Where is he?"

"He..." I felt a lump in my throat and I managed to choke out, "He got taken to jail."

"Why?" he asked me.

"Because he hurt you." I told him. This was so hard explaining this to him. "Aden, do you remember your dad?"

He shook his head, "No. But...but he's my dad. Why would my own dad want to hurt me?"

"I don't know," I told him wiping a tear from my eye, "I don't understand it either, kid. But for whatever reason he did it you don't have to worry because he's never going to be able to hurt you again. You're safe now."

He ran his fingers over the stitches in his head and flinched, "My dad did this to me?" Tears came to his eyes. I nodded slowly.

He started to cry and I ran my fingers through his hair, "You're okay now, Aden. I promise."

"I just wish I could remember," he cried, "You're upset 'cause I don't know who you are and I feel bad."

"No, no, no." I said quietly, "No, Aden don't feel bad you can't remember me. That isn't your fault. It's fine because whether you remember me or not I'm gonna be here for you, okay?"

"Dougie..." he said to himself trying to remember then he just started crying harder because he was frustrated with himself, "I just can't remember."

"Don't worry about it," I told him, "If you remember me later, then that's fine. If not that's fine too. But don't worry about it. It isn't your fault okay?"

"Okay," he sniffled, "So you're Dougie. Who are they?"

Kelsi smiled at him. The same smile that made me fall for her the first time I met her, "I'm Kelsi." she told him.

"I'm Tom," Tom told her, "Kelsi's cousin."

"I'm Harry," Harry told him smiling, his hands shoved in his pockets.

"And I'm Danny!" Danny gave him a goofy grin and a high five. Aden returned the smile, "Danny was your best bud," I told him. He smiled, "Really?"

"Yeah, dude." Danny told him, "You and me played video games all the time together."

"You beat him at Guitar Hero," Harry added and everyone laughed.

"You guys all seem so nice," Aden said, "I'm sorry I don't remember you. I really want to. But...I can't."

"It's fine," I told him quietly, "Don't be sorry."

The nurse came in and told us we had to go. It was getting late and we all had school the next day. I smiled softly at Aden before I left, "I have school tomorrow, but I promise the second I get out I'm gonna come see you, okay?"

"Thanks Dougie," he smiled, "I'll try my hardest to remember you before you come back."

"Get some sleep," I told him before leaving that hospital room. I held up as best I could on the walk home. "You okay?" Kelsi asked me. I nodded and kept walking.

"He'll remember you sometime," Danny told me, "I mean, this memory loss isn't permanent...is it?"

Kelsi shrugged, "It depends. Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't. All we can do is wait and see."

That killed me. There was a fifty percent chance he wasn't ever going to remember who I was? The rest of the walk home I was silent and when I was safe in my room away from everyone else I broke down. My mother knocked on my door and I quickly wiped my eyes. "Come in."

She walked over and sat on the edge of m bed. I messed with the buttons on the bottom of my shirt avoiding eye contact.

"Are you alright?" she asked me. I shook my head.

"Would this have anything to do with the little boy I saw on the news today?" she asked me. I looked up at her, "Mum he was my English assignment. My 'little brother.' I've spent every day with him for a week. I knew this whole time that he was getting hit. I knew all along! And I didn't get him help and now he's in the hospital and he can't even remember who the hell I am!"

My mother held me in her arms like she did when I was a small child, "You couldn't have stopped this, Dougie. Don't blame yourself. All you can do is see him in the hospital and pray he'll be okay. Maybe in time he'll remember you."

"And if he doesn't?" I asked.

"Then just know you were there for him. If he doesn't remember you then that means he doesn't remember being hit by his dad," she shrugged, "And maybe that's what's best."

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**Okay, sorry so short. But thereee ya go :D  
Reviewsss xD haha thanks guys  
**


	14. Thank You

Chapter 13

I rushed to the hospital from school the next day. I ended up forgetting my history book to study for the test I had the next day but I wasn't really worried about it. All I wanted was to see Aden.  
I ran as fast as I could to the hospital, a great accomplishment for me seeing as I hate running and the hospital is actually pretty far from my school. I got into his room out of breath and I plopped myself down onto the chair next to his bed. He smiled at me, "Dougie, right?"  
I nodded, "Have you remembered me yet?"  
He shook his head and sighed, "I had a dream about you last night, though."  
"Really?" I asked, sitting up, "What happened?"  
"I don't remember," he shrugged, "I just know you were there. And you seem so familiar and I want to bad to remember you."  
"Don't worry," I said quietly, "Give it time and you'll remember. I know you will."  
"What if I don't?" he asked me, "Are you gonna be mad at me?"  
I looked at him, the innocence in his eyes and I smiled, "Of course not. I could never ever ever in a million years be mad at you."  
He returned the smile, "Even if I don't know who you are?"  
"Even then," I told him.  
"Promise?" he asked me.  
I sighed remembering all those promises I made to him before. All those promises he'd never remember. I nodded, "I promise."  
"Dougie?" he said after a few minutes of silence. "Yeah?"  
"Why are you being so nice to me?" he asked, "I mean, it's not like it would make a difference whether you came here or not. I don't know who you are."  
I sighed, "Well believe it or not you and I went through a lot together. I was the only person you told about your dad. I promised I wouldn't tell anyone else. And..." I felt a lump in my throat, "And I broke that promise."  
"How?" he asked me.  
"I was scared so I told Tom what happened after I promised you I wouldn't. And then I told Kelsi and then we had this whole plan to help you out and if didn't work and now you're here. And it's all my fault."  
"Dougie..." he said moving the the side of his bed, "It's not your fault."  
I looked at him, tears in my eyes. "Yeah it is. I should have told the police, not Tom. I should have gotten you help when I could have and I didn't. Maybe it's best you don't remember who I am."  
"No!" he shouted, "I want to remember! I don't know who you are but every time I see you I know that you did something to help me out and that you gave me a friend. Every time I see you...I feel like I belong."

"Well it feels good."  
"What does?  
"It feels good to finally belong somewhere."

I swallowed hard and held back tears. He was so close, I knew he was. He knew who I was and he was doing everything he could to remember. It broke my heart that he couldn't.  
I heard a few people shuffle in and I looked up. It was Danny and Kelsi. They both smiled at Aden, "Hey."  
"Hi guys," he waved.  
"Still don't remember anything?" Danny asked. Aden shook his head.  
"It's cool, dude. Don't worry about it." he told him. "Dougie, how long have you been here?"  
"Since school let out," I shrugged. I heard my phone ringing and Danny laughed at my ringtone. I smiled and went to hit talk.  
"Wait!" Aden shouted.  
Kelsi, Danny and I turned to him, I hit ignore on my cell phone. It could wait. "What?  
"Dougie..." he sad quietly, his eyes fixed on the carpet. "What is it, buddy?"  
He didn't say a word but he looked directly into my eyes and stared at me for the longest time. Finally his face lit up and he shot up in his bed, "Dougie!"  
"What!?" I asked, getting scared.  
"You're Dougie! Dougie Poynter, my big brother. And...and we played Guitar Hero in Danny's basement and you took me to McDonalds and we went swimming and...and you were my best friend."  
"Yes!" I jumped up and lifted him out of the hospital bed, tears filling my eyes, "Yes that's exactly who I am! You remember!"  
"And I beat Danny at Guitar Hero!" he giggled and Danny smiled through his tears and nodded, "Yeah, you did." he managed to say.  
"Dougie," he said, his face buried in my shoulder.  
"Yeah?" I asked wiping the tears from my eyes.  
"Thank you."

* * *

**so sorry for the lack of updates recently!**

Finally a new chapter! aah lol

**You know the drill, reviewss are nice haha**


	15. In Loving Memory

I sat on the ground in the cemetery staring at the big gray gravestone stuck in the ground. Tears burned in my eyes as I sat silently. I swallowed hard and said, "I miss you. Things have been really hard around here without you. I try my hardest to get by but every once in a while I just lose it. Everything's been a blur to me since I found out the news. Everything's kind of run together and it's getting harder and harder to think straight every day."

I remember when I got the news. I didn't believe it. I remember walking into that hospital room like I did every day after school. I remembered he was going to be allowed to go home that week. When I got there I remember that look of grief in that nurse's eyes as she told me what had happened. I didn't believe her. I didn't want to. I just ran.

"I was a coward, you know that?" I continued, "I couldn't bring myself to go to the funeral and I understand if you don't forgive me for that. I should have been there before you were gone and I wasn't and I'm sorry for that too. I guess not going to the funeral was just the easy way out."

I remembered running to Tom's house and falling into his arms. He told me everything was alright and that I shouldn't feel bad for not going to the funeral. He told me sometimes everyone likes to take the easy way out. Sometimes it feels like the right thing to do at the time. But I knew the truth. I was just being a coward.

"Things are pretty boring without you too. You were always the one to make everyone smile. No one can beat Danny at Guitar Hero anymore. He's gotten a lot of practice lately. He misses having a challenge," I smiled through my tears remembering the times the two of them played together, "I miss having you around every day."  
I reached into my pocket, "I brought you something," I told that massive gravestone, setting my present down on the ground if front of it. It was a small skateboard and a guitar key chain, "Just a few things that remind me of you."  
I got up, wiping my eyes with the sleeve of my shirt then stuffing my hands deep in my pockets. It started raining and I put up the hood on my sweatshirt, staring at the grave stone one last time before walking away. I read the name one last time.

_In loving Memory  
Aden Michael Hurley_

I thought maybe it was best he died never remembering his father. It must be a sad thing. Dying and not remembering anything that happened weeks before. Having no happy memories to fall back on. But maybe for him it was best because he didn't have many happy memories of his father. It's better to fall back on nothing then to fall back on bad memories.  
But Tom told me something. He said, "Maybe he only remembered you for a reason. Maybe he remembered you because you were the only good thing in his life. He may have died not remembering much but at least he had one person around that cared. He had one happy memory to die with.

Once I got home I sat down at my desk with my notebook open, a pen in my hand. I was tipping back in my chair staring aimlessly out the window. I picked up the book I was supposed to have read. A Child Called It. I read the back of it. "...based on one of the worst child abuse cases in California History."  
Irony is a funny thing. If I would have read that book I would have known more about child abuse. I would have been more prepared. But if I would have read that book and aced that report, Aden would have died with no happy memories at all. Regardless of what happened with him I needed to do that paper or I would still fail. Not that it mattered at this point. I was probably going to drop out anyway. I looked back down at my blank notebook and started writing.

_Sometimes it takes someone we never would have expected to help us see what we've been missing our whole lives. Sometimes it takes someone we've never even met to help us look at things from a different perspective. Sometimes all we need is a friend. Sometimes it takes someone to show us that heroes aren't always dressed up in colorful suits and fighting crime. They aren't always strong and they aren't always brave. Sometimes a hero can be a small child..._


End file.
